Friday, April 28, 2006

$1 each

sometimes things just go your way. :)

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Papers like a Piper Call






by Corey Amaro
Stacks of letters, stamps, menus, images, tags and ledgers.
What is it with papers, that beckon us to read, to feel to hold...
Menus with delicious descriptions of dishes to be served,
Letters sent to sweethearts and secrets that unfold,
Stamps with postage marks from exotic places,
Journals of yesteryear that tell us where we have come from,
Ledgers that outline the daily doings and struggles of balancing a budget in perfect script!
The stories between the lines, the creases of past lives, the idea of holding someone's history tenderly in ones hand.
What is your paper trail, where does it lead?

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

local scenes


from the often visited thrift store.


never know what you're gonna find.

unless you look.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

springtime



this morning i left the house clutching a folded piece of paper - a treasure map! - a full list of garage and estate sale addresses. it's finally spring, and my favorite lazy weekday activity is back, signaling the end to snow tires and tightly-buttoned coats.

thrifting here is mostly a seasonal treat; we have a handful of goodwills and salvation army shops, but the real treasure is found among the church rummage sales and spread across sprawling suburban lawns. it's open season, and it's going to be a good one. how do i know? on today's first real outing i came across a copy of fannie farmer's baking book - i've been hoping to find one; the peanut butter cookies are divine - complete with tucked-in notes in shaky handwriting from the previous owner. things like, 'very good - use 1 1/2 bananas instead'.
what's better than baking advice from the great beyond? having also found a retro snack set upon which to serve it all.

do you thrift in seasons? where do you have the best luck?

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Easter Hopping


by Corey Amaro

Easter bonnets...
Chocolates...
Easter eggs...
Baskets...
No, these are not the things I found at the antique market last week.
Instead look what hopped in front of my heart--
One little bunny!
Vintage toys are wonderful, a swell of memories interchange...
A baby bunny with no eyes, a worn ribbon wrapped around his belly and bald.
Gee golly it couldn't be better!

Thursday, April 06, 2006

How much does it cost?

by Corey Amaro

Since many of you have asked me the famous question; How much did you pay for that? I thought I 'd answer that here on TAG SALES where I will post every Thursday.

First, the goods you see listed below for example, were bought when these things were consider not valuable, those days are gone sadly. Also I bought them when the dollar was very strong....now the dollar is weak against the Euro.
You can always search and search and most likely find anything for less. That is one of the pleasures of antiquing, and the reward of a good hunt!

Here is a rough idea of what you might be expected to pay if you found any of these goods at a typical brocante fair; not at a fleamarket where the search is harder, and the finding of such an item rare, and the effort more enduring, yet yielding a far cheaper price for the true tag sale hunter!

Here is what you could expect to pay for each item if you went to a Brocante in France:

Wine bottles (1880 circa or older), uneven, deep green, heavy, each slightly different: $15
Bottle carriers (1930s), sometimes 6 compartments, usually 4, a small one like this is the hardest to find with a wooden handle verses metal one. $25

Provencal water pitcher. (mid 19th century or older) Yellow is the most common, then green, next white and last blue. Already a yellow one is not very easy to find these days. Often they are missing their lid. This one has a lid. $200

Hand painted oil painting of Roses on canvas. (1900s) $60
Iron door knockers (alot of copies beware!) $45

Garden cache pottery glazed pots (19th century) $35.

The image on top is a sample of a 19th century bedsheet. Fine linen, thread count over 500, with elegant designs such as the one above run around $100 a piece.

I don't know if these prices have you jumping on a plane or scratching your head...but there you have an honest account of what these things cost today. Sure you might find these things for less, (BUY IT QUICK if you do!!) and you could expect to pay a great deal more if you buy them from an antique dealer.